Many cities across northern China, including Beijing, experienced their first snow of the year last week as cold air from Siberia brought stormy weather. The first snowfall coincided with “Little Snow,” the 20th solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar, and led to some stunning images:

A visitor in traditional dress of the Qing nobility poses for a photo at the Forbidden City as The Palace Museum saw long lines of visitors eager to appreciate the former imperial palace in snow

The snow shower in Beijing was over quickly, but visitors in Jingshan Park still managed to snap shots of tiny sculptures before the last of the snow melted

Around 130 kilometers northeast of Beijing at the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, silver mountains and snow-covered walls made for a special scene

Further north, on the slippery roads of Shenyang, Liaoning province, food couriers worked through the night in tricky conditions

Intrepid winter swimmers braved the frigid temperatures to take a dip in the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang province

Snow swept off the road was made into giant snowmen along Harbin’s Central Street

Seven hundred students and teachers from Harbin Engineering University spent two days arranging snow into the shape of an aircraft carrier, a submarine, and two submersibles on their campus

A rider in Inner Mongolia takes part in the traditional sport of “lamb-grabbing” at Fenghuangshan Ski Resort in Hulun Buir

All images from VCG